The foreign-born population of the US numbered 31.1 million in 2000, which amounts to 11.1% of the total population, an increase of 57% over 1990. According to the 2000 Census, 1 of every 5 children in the United States is a child of immigrants--that is, either a child who is an immigrant or who has at least one immigrant parent. Official poverty…

A child who seems disinterested may actually be depressed, living with parents who themselves are disengaged and depressed as they struggle to adjust. A student with violent outbursts, who might just appear undisciplined, can be reliving the emotion of a turbulent event in a war-torn country, experiencing a heightened "flight or fight" response.…

This paper offers tips for working with interpreters in mental health settings. These tips include: (1) Using trained interpreters, not bilingual staff or community members; (2) Explaining "interpreting procedures" to the providers and clients; (3) Addressing the stigma associated with mental health that may influence interpreters; (4) Defining…

In January 2007, The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services was commissioned to assess operations of school mental health programs in Washington, D.C. and recommend future directions in practices, policies and systems development. While this guidance is directed…

This paper provides an overview of screening, identification, and assessment tools and processes that can be used by practitioners and researchers who care for immigrant and refugee youth. The authors focus particularly on those tools useful in school-based settings. First, the authors review mental health needs of immigrant and refugee youth and…

This paper offers some basic information about mental health interpreter training. The information offered in this paper is organized into table form with the following column headings: (1) training program; (2) cost; (3) type; (4) time; (5) outcome; (6) primary topics covered; (7) skills attained; and (8) prerequisites to enroll.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared his intention to open health centers in 500 elementary schools across the state, which would bring the total number of such school-based clinics to 646. This initiative builds on California's 30-year history of using the school setting to increase access to care for children, improve clinical outcomes,…